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USC Marshall Student Earns 2025 Schwarzman Scholarship

USC Marshall Student Earns 2025 Schwarzman Scholarship

World Bachelor of Business student Charlotte Wang will participate in the prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship program.

by: Alexander Bernard
02.05.25
Charlotte Wang

Marshall scholar, filmmaker, and entrepreneur Charlotte Wang is one of the newest Schwarzman Scholars. 

[Photo Courtesy of Wang]

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In 2016, American financier Stephen A. Schwarzman founded a fully funded one-year master’s of global affairs program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, intending to bridge the gap between the United States and China. Since then, hundreds of high-achieving students have been awarded the Schwarzman Scholarship in an effort to develop tomorrow’s global leaders in an increasingly interconnected world.

This year’s cohort includes Charlotte Wang, a Beijing native and soon-to-be graduate of the World Bachelor of Business (WBB) program at USC Marshall School of Business.

The Schwarzman Scholars curriculum centers around three pillars: China, leadership, and global affairs. Scholars will experience the breadth of Chinese culture, economics, and politics while engaging with industry experts and business leaders from the world’s second largest economy.

While many enter the Schwarzman program to pursue diplomacy, international business, or politics, Wang is a filmmaker, music producer, and entrepreneur. She hopes her time at Tsinghua will enhance her creative and entrepreneurial goals through cross-cultural understanding and collaboration.

“I am determined to tell stories through film, music, and the arts that bridge deep cultural divides between the U.S. and China specifically,” Wang said. “I see Schwarzman as a very great starting point for me to make that vision become a reality.”

Wang’s background is unique, yet well-suited for the Schwarzman program. Raised in Beijing until she was 18 years old, she developed two major passions: entrepreneurship and travel. At her high school, she founded a small student consulting company and spent time in Paris as an exchange student. As a founder and globetrotter, USC Marshall’s WBB program appealed to Wang.

The specialized undergraduate degree allows students to study at business schools located in commercial and cultural hubs across the globe: one year at the HKUST Business School in Hong Kong; one year at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; and the first and final years at USC Marshall. According to Wang, the program offered her a global, hands-on learning experience, while connecting her with a diverse cohort of students from all over the world.

“The most precious thing about the WBB program is that you really learn by doing, you really learn from the entire environment,” Wang said. “The whole experience for me feels like a comprehensive journey, not just learning from the classroom. It’s like your life is your classroom.”

The whole experience for me feels like a comprehensive journey, not just learning from the classroom. It’s like your life is your classroom.

— Charlotte Wang ’25

Schwarzman Scholar

Wang was drawn to Schwarzman’s practical and immersive learning environment and the intrinsic value of learning from classmates, professors, and mentors from different countries.

“If you want to really understand another culture or if you really want to immerse yourself in a different mindset, you have to step outside and to communicate with the people there and to really learn from your experience,” Wang said.

Wang is striving to use her filmmaking to broaden understanding between China and the U.S. Through WBB, Wang developed a deep appreciation for storytelling and community engagement. Upon returning to USC for her final year, she chose to pursue her passion by completing a minor in cinematic arts, even though it required taking seven classes in a single semester.

As both a business and film student, Wang has a keen eye for the intersection between creativity and viability. In the Schwarzman program, she plans to partner with her fellow scholars on multiple artistic ventures, employing empathy and collaboration in the entertainment industry.

Wang’s aspirations don’t stop there. In her third year in WBB, she began developing Edspresso (education meets espresso), a digital coffee chat platform designed to connect users from different backgrounds and nationalities. Wang was inspired by her own in-person coffee chats with WBB classmates, in which they shared personal insights on world events.

“I realized deep and profound conversation didn’t necessarily need to happen in a really formal setting. It could happen anywhere, especially during idea exchanges with people from various backgrounds,” Wang recalled. “That’s when I got this idea to found a coffee chat platform to build up global use exchange.”

As a founder and storyteller, Wang sought to expand her global network after her undergraduate graduation. The Schwarzman Scholars offered the resources to kickstart her global entrepreneurship journey and build new connections, while bringing her home after four years in WBB.

“After spending all these years abroad, it feels like ‘full circle’ for me returning to where I was born, where I grew up after all these years of experience,” Wang said. “I also aspire to [become] an international entrepreneur in China. I feel like the Schwarzman could be a really, really exciting starting point for me.”

Wang’s inclusion in the Schwarzman Scholars marks the second consecutive year a Marshall and WBB student has been accepted into the prestigious program. Last year’s Marshall scholar, Amina Shafeek-Horton ’24, lived up to the values of the Trojan Network by assisting Wang in her interview preparation, ensuring she highlighted the unique profile that made her a perfect Schwarzman candidate.

“[Amina is] part of the reason why I wanted to apply to this program,” Wang said before recalling the preparation she did with Amina. “I did a final [mock] interview with Amina the night before, and she really encouraged me. She provided me with a lot of positive feedback and a lot of useful tips.”

As she returns to Beijing, Wang feels she has a responsibility to represent the programs and mentors who helped her along the way.

“I do not represent myself only. I also represent the entire Schwarzman community. I represent the entire World Bachelor of Business family,” Wang said. “I feel like that could be a motivation for me to keep pushing my boundaries and to keep exploring what I’m passionate about.”

Wang will begin the program in August. Following graduation, she hopes to grow and scale Edspresso, collaborate with fellow scholars on other entrepreneurial efforts, and eventually start her own creative production company.

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